Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
Reducing Wait Times for Home Care Services
Ontario is helping more people receive faster access to quality home and community care by reducing wait times and continuing to support personal support workers (PSWs).
The province is investing $75 million this year to help more patients receive care at home within Ontario's five-day wait time target, which is now publicly reported on the Ontario Wait Times website. This investment will support more visits at home for people who need nursing services. It will also support more hours of care for people who have complex care needs and require in-home personal support services like dressing, bathing and help taking medication.
Progress has already been made to reduce wait times for home care:
- 93 per cent of eligible patients receive their first nursing visit within five days of being approved.
- 84 per cent receive a visit from a personal support worker within the five-day wait time target.
To build on this progress, Ontario is also investing up to $9.7 million this year to train PSWs in the home and community support sector. This funding will help PSWs access additional training to care for people living with specific conditions like dementia, and offer direct care workers the opportunity to receive training towards a PSW certificate.
Connecting Ontarians quickly to health care at home is part of the government's Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care. It is also part of the government's four-part plan to build Ontario up by investing in people's talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives, and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.
Quick Facts:
- In 2014-15, the government invested an additional $270 million in the home and community care sector.
- Community Care Access Centres deliver home care services to more than 650,000 people including seniors.
- For more information on home and community services available to you or someone you care for, contact your local Community Care Access Centre or call 310-CCAC.
Additional Resources:
Quotes:
"We know that patients want to receive the best quality care in the comfort of their homes for as long as possible. I’m proud of the results we’ve achieved in meeting our five-day wait time target, but we know there’s still more work to do. Today’s investment will help us deliver on that commitment. Our Patients First Action Plan for Health Care is improving the health care experience by connecting Ontarians with the care they need to stay at home as long as possible."
— Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
"Getting help at home is really important for me because it lets me be independent and stay in my own apartment. My family doesn’t have to worry because help is there when I need it. That’s why seniors like me shouldn’t be too proud to ask for assistance when needed. They should try to find out all they can about the home care options available to them."
— Lucy Clarke, 86 year-old home care recipient
"When we brought our daughter home from hospital on a ventilator, we really couldn’t have done it without the support of the Community Care Access Centre and our nurse and PSW. The nurse came to see us the same day and our PSW and Care Coordinator came the next day. Without their support, care and guidance, I am not sure we would have been able to get Joanna out of hospital. Home is where she wants to be, it’s where she is healing better and it is easier on our whole family. We can’t do it though without timely access to those who support us. Without them we’d be back in hospital."
— Ian Sheppard, father of home care recipient
Media Contacts:
David Jensen
Communications and Marketing Division
416-314-6197
media.moh@ontario.ca
For public inquiries call ServiceOntario, INFOline
(Toll-free in Ontario only)
1-866-532-3161
Media Line
Toll-free: 1-888-414-4774
GTA: 416-314-6197
media.moh@ontario.ca
Shae Greenfield
Minister’s Office
416-325-5230
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